Q&A with offensive line coach Jim Marshall

UTSA will lack experience and depth at virtually every position when it begins play this fall. But nowhere are those qualities more important than up front along the offensive line. The man whose job it will be to whip that unit into shape, Roadrunners assistant Jim Marshall, took a few moments on Thursday to answer some questions about how the group looks with spring practice on the horizon.

Do you even have a depth chart yet?

Right now, to be honest, we finished the fall up, and we had guys playing everywhere. We’re flipping from right side to left side. We won’t know (who’s going to play where) until we finish spring practice. In a regular situation, the young guys would redshirt. Not with us. They’re going to play. Every (position) is wide open, up for grabs. That’s as honest as I can be.

Were you disappointed about not signing any Junior College transfers?

You’re always disappointed when you don’t get guys. But we’ve been around long enough to know how it works. We had three guys in, and they loved San Antonio, but they went to other schools. They had two years to play. They told us, we hear what you’re saying, but we can’t see it. They’d only have one year to play for a conference championship. One of them actually committed to us, and his dad wouldn’t sign the Letter of Intent because he wanted him to play somewhere else . It happens. We’re in a situation now where we’re coming into something. We’ll be in the conference when they come. That will make a big difference.

How many linemen would you like to sign next year?

Probably two or three. See, what you have to do is put everything in context. You can’t think about two years. You have to think four or five years ahead. If everything holds, we’re going to graduate everyone at once. We have to stagger things, and it’s better to do that now than to have a huge hole in a few years. We’d like to get (a j.c. player), but we’re not going to sell the house for that. This year, realistically, we were only looking to sign two. Every year you go after more than what you can sign. But these kids have other choices too. That’s why recruiting goes down to the wire like it does.

What’s your assessment of the players you do have?

At certain positions, it’s the best freshman group I’ve ever had. We have a couple of guys, I won’t name them, but they’re going to be big-time players. As we came out of the fall, the guys learned what we wanted and what we expected. But until we play our first game, they won’t know what real college competition is like. All they have to look at is film of them playing against other freshmen who don’t know either. We’re trying to get them to realize how quick the game is going to be. We have a long way to go. Mentally, they’re starting to learn the scheme. But physically, we’ve got a long way to go. This offseason right now is huge for our guys. That’s where your offensive line is built, in the winter.

What’s your biggest concern?

Depth. Injuries. Getting a key guy hurt. Once we get to the full 85, you’d love to have 14 or 15 linemen. That means five are being red-shirted. But, I’ve never been at a Ohio State or Texas, but any place I’ve ever been, we have never, ever had enough where you were comfortable with what you had. You’re happy with eight (dependable) guys. We showed numbers, which looks good in the press box on the depth chart. But I’m talking about guys you knew you could get the job done.

Do you think that’s going to be possible with so much youth?

I can answer that for you at the end of spring. As we finished up in fall, all seven of those (scholarship) guys understood what we wanted. How that translates into spring, that will be very interesting. So I can answer that after spring ball. As I said earlier, there is going to be so much change from November to March just from (working with strength/conditioning coach) Charlie (Dudley).

Were you able to grasp what this group does well?

When we went to fall camp, we put everything in, the whole playbook, so we could evaluate. That’s what we’re doing now, taking cut-ups of practices and scrimmages, situations in practice. So what we’re going to do is refine down to what we think is our bread-and-butter, what we can do well. What you have to see, when we get some more freshmen in, the thing we have to do is build our team around our strength, and right now that’s our skill players. Our linemen have to be able to help our skill kids do what they do best, which is run and catch.

What are you noticing most after reviewing the film from fall?

Lack of strength, lower body strength, and quick feet. It’s evident in the film. They pretty much knowing what they’re doing, but knowing and doing is two different things. I saw them run the other day, and I can already see a big difference in leg strength and knee bend from when we ended in November. They’re all going to bench; they want to look good in a t-shirt. But squats, power cleans, that’s what makes a lineman. I think they’re going to give us what we ask. As I told you (last fall), we have a good group of kids. They’re going to give us what we ask, and we’re going to ask a lot.

How are the players adjusting to that?

I think after about a week of fall camp, they knew me. They know when we leave practice we can laugh and joke. But this is a business. Nobody wants to be an offensive lineman. You have to take pride in that and know you start the ball game right there. There’s a time to work and a time to play. I like to play, but when it’s time to work, we go to work. I feel good about the guys we have to count on.